Man found guilty for deadly 2016 Fort Myers shooting

Published: May 17, 2018 11:16 AM EDT

A 24-year-old man was convicted of second-degree murder with a firearm following a four-day trial, according to the state attorney’s office said Thursday.

Davonte Harris and the 25-year-old male victim got into a physical altercation in August 2016 at a Fort Myers hotel, the state attorney’s office said. Harris later ran, pulled a gun out of his backpack and pointed it at the victim.

The victim then ran to a nearby gas station and convenience store on Cleveland Avenue and tried to escape by taking a car from two women, but was unsuccessful, the state attorney’s office said.

The victim ran toward the back of the business but was shot and killed, according to the state attorney’s office. Harris fled following the incident, but his cell phone was found near the victim’s body.

Harris taken into custody two days after the shooting, according to the state attorney’s office. Investigators found a handgun —later identified as the murder weapon— as well as a cell phone belonging to Harris’ girlfriend.

Harris’ girlfriend was texting him around the time the murder took place, but she didn’t know his whereabouts, the state attorney’s office said.

“She began texting him but his phone was laying behind the convenience store with the victim, placing the defendant at the scene of the crime,” the state attorney’s office said.

Harris could face life in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for July 9.